The computer systems on board motor vehicles are quite sophisticated. The onboard computers collect data from every aspect of the operation of the vehicle, from the pressure within the tires to the number of misfires that occurs in a particular cylinder of the internal combustion engine. All of this information is stored and may be downloaded when the vehicle is taken to an establishment that is authorized to access the information.
In addition, third party entities offer incentives to owners of vehicles based on the performance of the owner in operating the vehicle. For example, an insurance company may provide an incentive for the number of miles a vehicle travels without the owner thereof making a claim against his or her insurance policy. These incentives do not occur immediately as most owners of vehicles do not contact their insurance provider as soon as certain milestones are met.
Some governmental regulations currently require vehicle owners to have their vehicle emissions periodically checked by a certified testing facility to verify that they do not exceed predetermined limits. Oftentimes, the regulations required that the owners take their vehicles to certified facilities to collect vehicle emission data from the vehicle. The vehicle emissions data is typically collected in one of several different ways. According to one method, the vehicle emissions are measured by a device that is connected to the vehicles tailpipe while the vehicle is being driven on a dynamometer over a driving cycle that simulates typical city driving and includes periods of acceleration, cruise and deceleration. According to another method which is used primarily with newer vehicles, various electronic modules located throughout the vehicle collect vehicle emissions data while the vehicle is being driven. This data can then be transferred from an onboard diagnostic port (OBDII port) on the vehicle to a certified diagnostic machine that is designed to collect such information.
After the vehicle emissions test is complete, the vehicle owner is usually provided with test results in the form of a computer generated report. Some governmental regulations require that the vehicle owner then provide the test results to a designated governmental entity, like a Secretary of State or a Department of Motorized Vehicles, before they are able to register or renew their vehicle's license plates or tags.
As stated above, the vehicle collects numerous parameters and outputs regarding its performance and the use thereof constantly. This data would be much more useful to the owner of the vehicle if this data were able to be disseminated to the authorized recipients of the data in real time or periodically over the life of the vehicle, wherein the periods are shorter than the periods in which a vehicle is maintained or inspected.